RE: Card initiative

A card initiative variation that we've used on other games:
    We use a deck of standard playing cards.  Each player receives a
number of cards based on his leader's experience - one for
inexperienced, two for veteran, three for elite.  Each turn, the player
plays one card. At the end of the turn he receives a replacement card. 
Play until cards run out, then recycle the deck.
 
Cards go in descending order (k,Q,J,10...A) with suits (S,H,D,C)
deciding between the same number.  All the players reveal at the same
time.
 
Advantages - More player decision, (at least with veteran and elite
leaders) since you have a choice of cards to play.  
More interaction - you know when you get to go at the beginning of the
turn - you know what units you need to observe as going before or after
you and so you can plan ahead.
Limited guarantee of going first - since you don't know for sure what
cards the opponents have you aren't guaranteed to act first (unless you
have the King of Spades).  Even if the deck runs out, some people may be
holding high cards from the re-shuffle.
Allows planning ahead - an elite leader with 3 high cards pretty much
has the initiative for 3 turns, regardless of the next two draws.
 
Disadvantages - the order of the suits is not intuitive, players will
need to be reminded that Spades are higher than Hearts.. etc.
More card handling - a large game with 6 or more players will result in
many cards being dealt and more often re-shuffling of the deck.
Less randomness in initiative - you know when all the other players are
going during the turn.
 
A slower variation on this is for the players to keep their cards
secret, have a referee call down the numbers and players only activate
then their card is called.
 
--Binhan